Chapter 8 Someone

There is someone waiting for me when I got home, but it was not someone I'd ever seen around these parts before.

I've seen her around the pack lands, of course. Our pack was quite small, which meant that we were all bound to have some degree of familiarity with each other. But some of us were closer than the others, and the rest were in farther places to see frequently.

This woman was like that. I might have seen her at the grocery store, wearing the uniform or the Alpha packhouse servants. Working for the Alpha in any way or form was considered a privilege. That was why my mom was so proud of her job. She planned to keep the job until she couldn't physically work anymore.

Sometimes, I worried about this God-like status our pack assigned to our Alphas. But when I was sleeping with the Alpha's son, I didn't even acknowledge these thoughts.

This woman was not a maid. Given her uniform, she works in administration.

Why does a woman who works in administration here at my place? Was she here to meet my mother?

But as soon as the woman catches me coming towards her, her eyes widen, and she starts to hasten at me.

I instinctively put an arm around my belly to protect my baby. No one from the Alpha house could mean good news.

"Hi," the woman greets me pleasantly, but I'm still suspicious.

"Um, hi? How can I help you?"

"Are you the one named Arielle Starr?"

"Yeah, that's me." Fear is slowly creeping up within me. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," the woman replies, "but there might be something I could do for you."

If this wasn't suspicious enough. I put my other hand around my abdomen as well, as if she was going to yank a knife out of nowhere and stab me in the gut. David's suggestion of taking me to a witch to get the baby out is fresh on my mind, and I don't know if this woman is actually a witch, she'd sent to do that right at my home.

Suddenly, I wish that I was not so alone in the world. If anything happens to me now, no one is going to be none the wiser about it. My parents won't know until later. Our house was situated at the edge of the pack, so the neighbors were quite a distance away. If I scream really loudly, they might hear me. If there is a random patrol going on in the forest behind us, as it often is because Alpha Aspen is strict about pack security, they might help me.

I try to calm my heart down and not stutter when I speak.

"Can you get straight to the point, please? Did David send you?"

But to my surprise, the woman nods. Now, she looks a little scared as well.

"No, I'm here on my own will. And I'm not going to hurt you, or your baby. In fact, I'm here to warn you."

My whole-body jolts back.

"Warn me? About what?"

"The Alpha's son had impregnated you, right? And he won't take responsibility?"

I nod numbly, trying not to feel embarrassed. It takes two to tango, it's not entirely my fault I ended up in this situation. If not for David showing interest in me, I'd have never gotten together with him.

"He's planning something," the woman whispers, voice low, "I'm risking a lot here trying to warn you, I might even get expelled from this pack, or worse, so please heed my warning. You don't know me, yes, but I won't let a wolf harm another, especially one as you are. You're not even twenty years old and you don't deserve this to happen to you."

I feel my eyes burning with tears because this is the first time since I was at the doctor's office someone had even bothered to sympathize with my situation. Everyone else had been eager to vilify me without listening to my side of reason, but this woman I'd never spoken to before was here, expression earnest and telling me that I deserved to be treated decently.

"What's David trying to do to me now?" I ask her tiredly. "Is it the witch thing? He already came to me once, but I refused. I would refuse again unless he's planning to take me by force."

"The woman looked surprised. "What witch thing?"

And so, I told her about David's offer. Her expression changes from shock to anger.

"How could he suggest that? Those kinds of practices are not even legal! The Tribunal will have him in jail if they even know if he's planning something like that."

The Tribunal was the werewolf legislative unit. Alphas were not all-powerful, their power had to be kept in check lest they devolve into power-hunger and do heinous things. The Tribunal was there to uphold the law, to make sure that no werewolf is treated unjustly, that no one gets away with things like rape and murder. There is a set of laws that every werewolf must follow. If they follow to do so; they will be reported to the Tribunal who will start to investigate them and punish them if they are found guilty.

"I don't know." I mutter miserably, "I'm just trying not to get banished from the pack for something that's not my fault. I didn't mean to get pregnant; I took every measure possible not to get pregnant. He's the one who wanted to do it, he's the one who wanted to have a relationship with me in the first place. I just wanted to be loved like every other girl would want!"

"Okay, okay, I understand you, and I'm on your side." I nod, thankful for her support. I don't even know her name, but I've already told her more than I'd told my parents.

"Can I know your name?" I ask her.

"You can call me Jay, but it's not my real name. I'm just trying to cover my bases."

"Okay." That was understandable.

"And that's all I wanted to say. The Alphas are planning something, and it has to do with you. Please be careful and try not to go out in the dark. If you do, go out in your wolf form, I think that would be safer. Alpha Lincon especially asked his son to 'take care of her problem' and not in a good way. I'll try to warn you if something else happens. But for now, be careful."